KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The UMKC men’s basketball team will host the New Mexico State Aggies on Saturday to close its longest home stand of the season.

The Roos will be wearing ‘Team Lauren’ shirts during warmups as a part of the Coaches vs. Cancer initiative across the NCAA this week. Former UMKC Athletics employee and friend of the department, Brian Morris, received news that his 11-year-old daughter Lauren was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in November and is currently undergoing treatment.

About Coaches vs. Cancer

The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. This initiative leverages the personal experiences, community leadership, and professional excellence of coaches nationwide to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities, and advocacy programs. Since 1993, coaches have raised over $100 million for the American Cancer Society.

In UMKC’s 62-59 conference victory over CSU Bakersfield to open the four-game home stand, sophomore Xavier Bishop drained his first college career game-winning 3-pointer to give the Roos their first WAC win. The guard currently leads the team on the court, averaging 12.1 points per game.

Newcomer Brandon McKissic has connected on eight of his last nine 3-point attempts over the span of five games.

UMKC overcame a 16-point deficit for a 79-77 victory at USC Upstate on Jan. 2, led by a 21-point game from Isaiah Ross and 20-point performance from Broderick Robinson. It marked the third time in four outings that Ross tabulated at least 20 points, while it was Robinson’s third 20-point game of the season.

In the Roos game at Incarnate Word on Dec. 16, UMKC blocked 10 shots as a team - just one shy of the program record of 11 that was set against Nicholls State in 1991.

In UMKC’s 65-55 win at UT Martin on Nov. 26, Ross became the first Roo since standout LaVell Boyd against South Dakota in 2015 to connect on 10-plus field goals in a single game.

As a team, the Roos are shooting 70 percent from the free throw line, with Ross and Robert Knar shooting better than 75 percent at the charity stripe. In UMKC’s victory at USC Upstate on Jan. 2, 11 of Jordan Giles’ 15 points came at the free throw line. The Roos shot a season-high 84.6 percent from the charity stripe at Seattle U on Jan. 13 after only shooting only 50 percent in the conference opener at UTRGV on Jan. 6.

The Roos are averaging 6.9 steals per game, compared to their opponents at 5.4 per contest. Robinson leads the team with 33 on the year, while Marco Smith has 20 and Bishop has 18.

Aleer Leek has the fifth-most blocked shots in the WAC, averaging 1.1 a game with a team-high 25 on the season.

Giles currently leads the Roos in scoring during WAC play, averaging 13.3 points per contest. The sophomore missed the last couple of conference games due to injury, but is now healthy for the Roos.

Kareem Richardson’s troop features six returning letterwinners and welcomes nine newcomers this season. The Roos will look to the senior leadership of Robinson, as UMKC lost all five of its starters from 2016-17. Robinson, along with Bishop played in all 35 games for the Roos last season, while Ross made an appearance in 34 contests. Richardson enters his fifth year at the helm of the Roos program.